Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are gaining wide acceptance in a variety of area-illumination applications, for example, architectural lighting, residential illumination, industrial lighting, outdoor lighting, theatrical lighting and the like.
Conventional light emitting diodes typically have electrical contacts facing in the same direction, e.g., away from a substrate. Some types of LEDs may have electrical contacts at two different levels, e.g., in a “stair step” arrangement. However, the electrical contacts are still typically facing in the same direction.
Unfortunately, such contacts and associated structures tend to block some light output from an LED. In addition, such contact structures present a rather poor path for conducting thermal heat away from an LED. Further, convention contact structures generally result in an uneven electrical field distribution within the LED, leading to a further decrease in power efficiency and light output.